It’s days like today that reminds me why I love living in the South. While back home in NY they are having a (last?) blast of arctic cold and snow, we are enjoying low 80s and sunshine here in north Texas. I spent most of yesterday morning mowing and weedeating the backyard. I’m going to be planting tomatoes later this week, once I get some more container soil and the tomato plants. But I already have several areas where things are growing!
I bought pansies, petunias, and snapdragons the beginning of February and they are looking lovely.
The dianthus I bought on discount last year has really taken off!
I dug this crepe myrtle out of the front flower bed last year, not knowing what it was. Once I identified it, I stuck it in a container until I can figure out where I’d like to plant it. It seems to be growing well.
The lilies I planted last spring are looking good. I anticipate blooms in a few short weeks. I bought 30 gladiolus bulbs today and I’m going to plant them in between these, so when the lilies fade, there will be glads to pick!
Last year’s attempt at strawberries was a dismal failure, but the raised bed has made a great greens garden for the past few months. Almost every morning I go out and pick some Swiss chard, or spinach, or lettuce leaves for lunch. I’m hoping the bed gets enough shade that it will continue to produce even in the summer, but likely not.
Several of the other plants I bought last summer on discount have wintered well and now I have to create some flower beds for them. I’ve got a lantana, which is going where the rose bush used to be in the front bed, a prairie mallow, a geranium, a salvia, a daylily, and four chrysanthemums. Oh, and a duranta (?), which I looked up after I brought it home and discovered it is a bush, not a flowering plant. It’s very small now, but it appears like it could grow rather large, so I have no clue what I’m going to do with it.
That’s the start of my gardens this year. I have one front flower bed to amend/build up and one back fenceline flower bed to create! Plus what I plan to put into containers – tomatoes, green beans, peppers, and a new type of squash I learned about last week tatume – and a trellis of morning glories, seeds I brought back from my mom’s plants last fall. I think I will be busy.
P.S. Did you wonder where the butterflies are that were mentioned in the blog post title? I decided to leave them for another day. Keep watch!
You could put up some shade for the salad – mesh isn’t expensive and fairly easy to put up. Would mean another trip to Lowes probably 😉
Hah! Do not aid and abet our Lowe’s addiction!